HISTORY. 21

the box. The servant fell into the snare, was

really tempted to take a pinch, and the fly escaped

without being observed. In a short time the Def-

turdar returned to the room, found that the flv had

escaped from its confinement, and immediately

asked the servant "Who had opened the box?"

"• I, sir," he confidently replied ; " I took a pinch."

This liberty he paid with his life : the ruffian had him flogged to death.

A negro bought milk of a women for five paras,*

drank it, but forgot the payment ; the woman com-

plained to the Defturdar, who happened to be in the

neighbourhood. " Well," said he, " I will imme-

diately investigate the affair," and ordered the offend-

ing negro to be instantly brought before him. When

he appeared, he asked him, if he had bought milk

of that woman and not paid for it ? The negro in

fear denied it. The barbarian immediately ordered

the abdomen of the negro to be cut open, to see

whether his stomach contained the milk. It was,

indeed, found ; m hereupon he quietly said to the woman : " Thou art right, take these five paras, and now go thy ways."

In his garden the Defturdar had a den, in which

he kept a lion ; the animal became gradually so

Accounts, it would appear, are kept in current piastres of

Egypt, each piastre being equivalent to forty paras. • Fifteen and

a half or sixteen piastres are =: one Spanish dollar ; hence one

piastre = three pence halfpenny of English money, and five paras

would, therefore, be about one halfpenny English. For further in-

formation vii/c Encyclopaedia Britanica, vol. iii. Article Egypt.